The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad has suspended free treatment services for patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab under the health facility card program due to unpaid insurance claims.
This suspension primarily impacts patients requiring gynecological and general surgery treatments.
Hospital sources revealed that the decision was taken after State Life Insurance failed to settle Rs 140 million in pending claims.
As a result, patients who relied on the health card for free medical services will now face challenges in accessing care. However, patients in the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and those undergoing dialysis will still receive free treatment.
The move is expected to disproportionately affect low-income and lower-middle-class individuals in both provinces, as they heavily depend on the health card for vital medical services.
While emergency surgeries for patients from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will continue at PIMS, new admissions under the health card have been halted until the payment dispute is resolved.
